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Friday, July 25, 2008

We went to Duluth on a Sunday for a daytrip to so some "touristing". While we were crossing the "high bridge" from Superior to Duluth, we could see a big ship approaching Duluth and about to enter the harbor by passing under the lift bridge. We hurried to Canal Park, parked the car and literally ran to the lift bridge, snapping this picture. In it is the bow of the American Century as she crossed before the crowd assembled along the canal passing under the lift bridge.................

..............here is the rest of the ship. She is the American Century, owned by American Steamships out of Buffalo. She is 1,000 feet long..........

......this is the stern passing under the bridge. She is powered by 20-cylinder diesel engines totalling 14,240hp.......

....Here is the lift bridge coming back down after the ship, in the background and turning left, has cleared. Ths bridge is over a hundred years old and quite a tourist attraction in Duluth.........

.....in this shot you can see the crowds that form when a ship passes. The little museum and control building publish a newsletter with the expected arrivals and "bios" of each ship. If you look at the towers holding up the lifting segment, there are some "blobs" of concrete which are the counterweights to make it easy to lift the segment with just a small amount of energy, like ten horsepower......

.....here you can see the counterweights better. As the bridge gets lower, they get higher.....

..........here the bridge is completely down and cars are crossing. The counterweights are back in their high position, ready to help to lift the bridge the next time..........

.....we went to a local Mexican restaurant called Little Angie's Cantina. It is highly touted and we thought we were in for a treat. The reason Wendy looks less than happy is because the food was very bland, almost tasteless. Then we remembered we were in Minnesota, land of the Scandinavians, where ketchup is considered a spicy condiment. If they served actual Mexican food, no one would eat there except a few foolhardy Finnlanders who would then be rushed to the emergency room(and probably die)............

.....we asked for some hot sauce and they brought us this. It is from Costa Rica and looked promising. Out of flames, however, it is a "one-half flame". I drank the bottle in protest and the blonde, blue-eyed waitress fainted before she could call the ambulance for me on her cell. Finding food in Minnesota with some flavor requires a special skill, I guess.........

.....on our way home across the high bridge we spotted the American Century loading 64,000 tons of coal. The coal comes from Montana and Wyoming on the train and goes to Monroe and St. Clair Michigan to make electricity for Detroit Edison Power Company. We spent the day visiting museums, as is our hobby. A blog will follow about that........

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WE STARTED THIS BLOG IN THE SPRING OF 2006 TO KEEP OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS "UP TO SPEED" ON OUR DAILY LIVES, LIVING IN A 34 FOOT CAMPER. WE USE THE "HODGEPODGE" APPROACH TO BLOGGING AND INCLUDE WHAT WE'RE THINKING, GUEST ENTRIES, DAILY LIFE, CASINO STORIES, COOKING STORIES, TRAVEL STORIES, AND A GENEROUS PINCH OF BULLSHIT.MARY AND I SHARE IN THE WRITING OF THE BLOG, AND REX ALWAYS TYPES IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, SO YOU CAN TELL WHOM IS WRITING.

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BLOG ENTRIES WRITTEN BY "UNCLE HANS", ARE WRITTEN BY MY BROTHER HANS. HANS LOVES TO WRITE WHEN SO MOVED AND HAS JOINED OUR "TEAM" SO TO SPEAK. THANKS FOR THE BLOG ENTRIES "UNCLE HANS"!!!

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